Hacienda Kitchen Opening, with Valley Taphouse on the Way

November 9, 2021 – Nile Estep makes the key point casually, almost in passing: “Yeah, there’s a lot of ideas floating around.”

You think? 

The fact there is so much happening at reborn Hacienda Hay & Feed Carmel Valley—note the Chick Inn coop and Bunny Barn, ample animal feed and people snacks, the alternative milks and the pickled vegetables, with bonsai trees and orchid plants on the way—might be why two of its tastiest elements, a new food truck hub and local tap house, almost get overlooked. 

That may change come Saturday, when both the community institution that is Hay & Feed officially reopens—softly, so be gentle—and Hacienda Kitchen also makes its debut. (Valley Road Taphouse will open its shipping container wine and beer bar in mid-December once final construction and beverage lines are in place.)

Hacienda Hay & Feed will expand on what it’s done historically—i.e. food and care items for every breed of livestock and pet—by way of community events, artisan workshops and all sorts of locally sown plunder. 

The Hacienda team is enthusiastic about stocking customer requests going forward, but the lineup proves substantial already, including Jam’in Carmel Valley preserves, Mylk Maid plant-based “milks,” Valley Botanicals skin care items, Johnny Wicks candles, and Happy Girl pickled produce. 

Beyond the retail partnerships, an ensemble of other collaborators come into play. 

Bees Knees Bakery will run an on-site bake shop with croissants, coffee cakes, cookies, banana bread, scones, tarts and more. 

Sip & Crunch will do Captain & Stoker coffee in a cute trailer rig 7am-2pm Tuesday-Sunday, and add boutique shave ice seasonally. 

Eventually a purveyor-to-be-announced will offer fresh squeezed lemonade with citrus grown in part on property, from another adorable two-wheel trailer. 

An ice cream vendor is also in the pipeline of possibilities.   

The Hacienda Kitchen will be directed by the team behind Wedo’s Tacos at Dust Bowl Brewing in downtown Monterey. To start they’re inviting other food makers to occupy the truck, pop-up style. 

Parsley+Fig’s Patrina Pinto and Lazy Nate’s Nate Dalton will collaborate on local ingredient driven salads and comfort food, their respective strengths, starting Saturday then serving Tuesday-Sunday. (Hours will be 11am-4:30 Tuesday-Wednesday and 11am-8pm Thursday-Sunday.)

The opening menu this weekend features Brussels sprouts with Baker’s Bacon, a garden salad sauced with P+F’s signature dressings, a chicken pesto panini with Ad Astra bread, a robust burger, a chicken gyro, and fries and grilled cheese options for the youngsters and young-at-heart. 

The tap house will eventually focus on local product too, with Alvarado Street Brewery and Other Brother Beer Company beers leading, and rotating local wines flowing from the tidy and cleverly appointed shipping container. 

It all pairs beautifully with the pastoral setting, the expansive yard and its pavilion of picnic tables, lawn games (horseshoes and corn hole!), farm truck stage, and kids’ play area. 

Estep, whom Edible readers might know as the ringleader of Carmel Farmers Market, is among the partners summoning Hay & Feed’s rebirth, but it’s been a team effort the whole way, which contributes to plethora of ideas in the air. 

The back of a welcoming sign gets at the depth of collaboration, listing a range of construction, realty and community souls who pitched in. 

“It’s been cool revamping a business that once was and doing more than a feed store,” says Cal Leidig, who will oversee the Hacienda Kitchen with Chris Tringali. “Even cooler has been seeing everyone supporting us.”

Additional food trucks—there’s space for at least one more—and a burgeoning list of workshops (featuring everything from blacksmithing to painting to ceramics) will build on the community vibe. Meanwhile ranch and rural types will be able to load up on all the chicken feed, alfalfa and grass they desire via the drive through hopper behind the picnic pavilion.

“I love things that are community-oriented and have different movers and shakers involved,” Estep says. “Anything bringing artisans back to Carmel and Monterey is what I want. That’s what the community was built upon. There needs to be a revival of that.”

More at haciendacv.store